Senate Bill 2684

    Florida Senate - 1999        (NP)                      SR 2684

    By Senator Saunders





    25-1869-99

  1                    Senate Resolution No.     

  2         A resolution recognizing suicide as a state

  3         problem and encouraging initiatives aimed at

  4         preventing suicide.

  5

  6         WHEREAS, suicide, the ninth leading cause of all deaths

  7  in the United States and the third such cause for young

  8  persons ages 15 through 24, claims more than 31,000 lives

  9  annually nationwide, and

10         WHEREAS, suicide attempts, estimated to exceed 750,000

11  annually nationwide, adversely affect the lives of millions of

12  family members, including many Floridians, and

13         WHEREAS, suicide annually causes more than 200,000

14  family members nationwide, including many Floridians, to mourn

15  a tragic death, and

16         WHEREAS, the suicide rate per 100,000 persons has

17  remained relatively stable over the past 40 years for the

18  general population, but that rate has nearly tripled for young

19  persons and is highest for adults over 65, and

20         WHEREAS, the stigma associated with mental illness

21  works against suicide prevention by keeping persons who are at

22  risk of committing suicide from seeking lifesaving help, and

23         WHEREAS, the stigma associated with suicide seriously

24  inhibits surviving family members from regaining meaningful

25  lives, and

26         WHEREAS, suicide deaths impose a huge unrecognized and

27  unmeasured economic burden on the State of Florida in terms of

28  potential years of life lost, medical costs incurred, and work

29  time lost by mourners, and

30         WHEREAS, suicide is a complex, multifaceted biological,

31  sociological, psychological, and societal problem, and

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999        (NP)                      SR 2684
    25-1869-99




  1         WHEREAS, many suicides are currently preventable, and

  2  there is an urgent need for the development of more effective

  3  suicide-prevention programs, and

  4         WHEREAS, suicide-prevention opportunities continue to

  5  increase due to advances in clinical research, treatments for

  6  mental disorders, neuroscience, and the development of

  7  community-based initiatives that await evaluation, and

  8         WHEREAS, suicide-prevention efforts should be

  9  encouraged to the maximum extent possible, NOW, THEREFORE,

10

11  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:

12

13         That the Florida Senate recognizes suicide as a state

14  problem and declares suicide prevention to be a state

15  priority; acknowledges that no single suicide-prevention

16  program or effort will be appropriate for all populations or

17  communities; and encourages initiatives dedicated to

18  preventing suicide, responding to people who are at risk for

19  suicide and people who have attempted suicide, promoting safe

20  and effective treatment for persons who are at risk for

21  suicidal behavior, supporting people who have lost someone to

22  suicide, and developing an effective state strategy for the

23  prevention of suicide.

24         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body encourages the

25  development and promotion of accessible and affordable mental

26  health services that would enable all persons who are at risk

27  for suicide to obtain such services without fear of any

28  stigma.

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